


leather black and eyes of blue (sun reflecting in your eyes)

by transgirluma (gayapplewhite)



Category: Descendants (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 05:26:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11548407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayapplewhite/pseuds/transgirluma
Summary: “uma walks over to her, head tilted to the side like a cat that had found its prey and has every intent to destroy it before eating it alive. “the prodigal daughter returns,” she murmurs, running her hand down mal's cheek gently. “how was auradon, mal?” she asks, and mal can see in her eyes that this is a test.“there were so many people being good,” mal says. “it was awful.” she spits out the word good like it is something that burns her tongue.”or; mal and uma, and what they used to be (and what they will become).





	leather black and eyes of blue (sun reflecting in your eyes)

**Author's Note:**

> this was written for the d2fandomcountdown. i love mal/uma so much?? they're gfs now disney can't stop me. also d2 is in like, 2 days?? wild.
> 
> the title's from lana del rey's “freak”. yes i know neither of them have blue eyes leave me alone. please kudos and comment if you enjoy, it means a lot to me!

“i'm back,” mal says, triumphantly. she tries to hide the color of her hair (and how it is different, in how it is dyed back to something resembling its normal color because auradon made her change it made her make herself blonde and weak) by staying the shadows, and uma spins to look at her. she clicks her tongue judgmentally, and mal tries to hide the fact that her hands are shaking.

uma walks over to her, head tilted to the side like a cat that had found its prey and has every intent to destroy it before eating it alive. “the prodigal daughter returns,” she murmurs, running her hand down mal's cheek gently. “how was auradon, mal?” she asks, and mal can see in her eyes that this is a test.

“there were so many people being good,” mal says. “it was awful.” she spits out the word good like it is something that burns her tongue.

“and what about beastie boy?” uma asks, taking mal's wrist gently, but holding it with enough force that mal knows if she tries to pull away, the grip uma has on her wrist would tighten.

“i never liked him,” mal says, her voice heavy. it is not fully a lie. “he was just a plaything, to pass the time.”

uma chuckles, slowly waltzing backwards into the light, dragging mal with her. “and here i thought evie was the one who toyed with men.”

mal meets her gaze evenly. “well, i couldn't go to auradon and not have a little _fun_.”

uma laughs again, before releasing her grip on mal's wrist, lightning fast, and shoving her back. a pair of hands grab mal from behind, and an ice cold bit of metal lay lightly on her neck. mal tries to move her neck, but it only makes the metal dig in further. she's fairly certain that this harry hook's hook digging into her neck. she regrets toying with him the way she did when they were small (she kissed him, teased him, and now he hates her. she thought it was funny, then. when she didn't have her own heart for uma to break). “take her away, boys,” uma says, voice heavy and full with pride.

“uma?” mal whispers, voice full of betrayal. “why are you doing this?”

“you don't have any right to be upset,” uma says, voice low and even. “you left me _here_ , mal. you left me to _rot_.”

“i didn't mean it,” mal echos, voice hollow. “do you think i chose to go to auradon and be good? do you think i made my choice and left you behind?”

uma looks at her evenly. there is not a hint of anger in her eyes. it is betrayal; it is sadness that mal can see under the surface of her deep brown eyes. “yes.” mal says nothing. there is nothing she can say.

 

//

 

mal wakes in the cells in uma's ship. it is a beached boat, and it will never sail again, but that has never stopped uma from calling it hers.

uma is in the corner, watching her. “you're awake,” she says, and mal blinks. she'd thought uma would leave her for dead (as is her way).

“yes,” mal says, slowly. “why are you here?”

“because i know you, mal,” uma says. “i know that bastard prince means something to you.”

“you don't know anything about him,” mal says, and regrets it. it's true, she'd accidentally let ben mean _something_ to her, and she regrets it. she'd liked him, but she hadn't loved him. not the way she'd loved uma, once (loves is on the tip of her lips. she thinks she still loves her, but doesn't dare to say it).

“oh, honey,” uma laughs. “i know everything about him. did you know he's the type to follow you to the isle, just because he thinks this whole thing was his fault?”

mal shakes her head. ben wouldn't be that stupid (her mind drifts to a conversation she had with audrey, once, about things ben had done that had been foolish. he would).

“you have him, don't you?” mal says. it is not a question. they both know.

“yes,” uma says. there is a long silence. all mal can hear is the rush of the waves against the ship. neither of them speak.

“why would you come back, mal?” um says, breaking the silence.

“because i couldn't do it,” mal answers honestly. she's never been the type to lie to uma. “there's so much goodness there. and i? i am a rotten apple, a cursed jewel, the spitting green fire of my mother. i was forged in her image. i am evil.” mal has never said those words aloud before. it feels good, she thinks, and freeing. _i am evil_.

“did you miss me?” uma asks, voice low in the empty room.

before she can think, mal answers honestly. “yes.”

 

//

 

mal stands on the deck, hand in hand with uma. “benjamin florian,” mal says, laughing, low and deep. “our good king.” ben blinks at her; seeing her hand in hand with her greatest enemy must be a shock for him. not that she and uma were ever really enemies, of course. not that ben knows that.

“didn't you ever wonder what it's like, to have all that pressure to be someone you aren't? i really only defied my mother for my friends, you know,” she adds, holding a knife (it is a sharp, curved thing jay stole for her when they were young) to ben's throat. “you were just part of the package.” ben shakes his head. he is frightened, and mal can see in his eyes that he is only a small, frightened puppy. he never should have come to the isle. ah well. he has always been a fool for love, or so audrey says. mal thinks that when all is said and done, she will keep audrey around. she's quite fond of the girl, and she thinks that audrey has some potential for the dark. after all, she's the one who found audrey, two months later in the dark of her room, working a hex on mal for magicking her boyfriend away. she hadn't gone through with it, but in mal's opinion, it really was quite evil of her. and everyone has to start somewhere, after all.

“mal, stop toying with him,” uma says lazily from behind her.

“oh, but it's more fun this way,” mal says, and then ben's eyes are wide. he understands what will happen, mal thinks. he thinks she will kill him.

and ben isn't quite wrong, but he isn't quite right, either. she pushes him over with one boot, and he falls to the floor, his face smacking on the wooden deck in a way that mal is sure will bruise later.

“see, benny-boo, this is what we'll do,” uma says, mockingly. “we're going to use you to negotiate our way off the isle, and then we'll take over auradon. we'll have to kill you at some point, of course, but you'll be alive for a while yet. and everyone in auradon can stay out of our way or die. it's really quite simple.”

ben croaks from the floor, “what about evie, mal? or carlos? or jay?” mal laughs at him.

“do you really think they wouldn't follow me to the ends of the earth?” she says, knowing she is right, and it is then, with the king of auradon crushed beneath her, uma's hand tight in her own, the salty sea air in her hair, that mal realizes — this is what she was born for. this is the way it was meant to be. and, mal knows, she wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
